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So, as y'all might know (if you are paying attention to anything I've put out in the world in the last week lol) @slmdances is sharing our #BodyBusinessStories as a part of our #SLMDBodyBiz10K campaign.
Each week, we are releasing a new episode of #WeMakinIt @kadie91893519 who interviews each of our Creative Partners about their budgets & bank accounts & how they are #makingitwork as an artist in NYC.
The conversations are based on #SLMDances 2015 production #BodyBusiness where we asked: How can dance artists be paid a living wage for meaningful work? How can we transform places of lack in our lives to places of abundance?
They are also based on my economic profile, where I spill all the tea about how it is that I have made a life as an artist when there are no extra coins hiding in me or peoples pockets: https://www.sydnielmosley.com/economicprofile
I think it's important that we have these transparent conversations tho... it shouldn't be a mystery about what we have and what we need to do our work. Especially for young artists who are just starting to make their way.
So each week, as I'm listening to #WeMakinIt I'll be live tweeting along to open up the door for this continued dialogue. This week's episode is with Jessica Lee who's been @slmdances for 3 years: https://shows.pippa.io/we-makin-it/episodes/bodybusiness-stories-part-2-with-jessica-lee-of-slm-dances #slmdbodybiz10k
First topic at hand, student loan debt: "How do you NOW pay for the thing that you did?... The reality is much clearer than before [ I went to college]."
That comment from Jessica reminds me of this hilarious (but true) image by our collaborator Damel Dieng illustrating us dancers chained to student loan debt. #bodybusiness
"I definitely have interest and it is definitely adding up." Whoo chile! #slmdbodybiz10k
Jessica: "My main source of income is teaching kids and I do a lot of arts administration. That's how I pay my rent and pay my bills." #slmdbodybiz10k
@kadie91893519 is getting into the nitty gritty -- Monthly Expenses: Rent $800 (incl. utilities & wifi) + $127 for @mta metrocard + Food $200 + Phone on Family Plan + $50 emergency + $10 for entertainment #slmdbodybiz10k
and income: 50% from teaching, 40% admin from @KwanzaaKid (hey #supersquad!) and 10% from performance & other gigs. #slmdbodybiz10K
Important Q from @Kadie91893519: Given that you have $30k in student loan debt and you only earn 10% of your income as an artist, *What is that conversation in your head like today?* #slmdbodybiz10k
Jessica: "How can I streamline what I do so I can start to be more specialized... to make more money?... When I 1st came to NYC I was running around...and spreading myself thin... In the past couple of years, I've been able to consolidate."
"I'm at a place where I love all the things I'm doing and I can do them well. So how can I continue to advance myself...?"
I love the #strategy they are talking: Take on jobs that build on existing skill sets, instead of continuously taking jobs that require you to invest in new skill building. @candancecreates is actually a master this.
i also love how @Kadie91893519 is talking about #opportunitycost and what resources are necessary upfront to invest in new skills (i.e. yoga or pilates certifications etc.)
Next big Q from @Kadie91893519: What privileges have made access to resources possible? Jessica: "I come from a middle class family and I am white... That's major." #slmdbodybiz10k
"I have family nearby. If I want a home cooked meal, I can go home. That is a resource just as valuable as money."
"In terms of access to systems, my name is Jessica Lee. I am a white woman. There aren't that many barriers for me in the dance world in NYC. I graduated from [college]. I had an internship... where I could live at home... I was at @BAXarts & from there I had a foot in the door"
"The identity I have, where I went to school @Middlebury... the #whiteprivilege I have brings networks & connections... that name it helps a lot."
"Through @browngirldance1 @Middlebury, I met Paloma McGregor ( @AngelasPulse) and then Paloma saw me as someone in both dance & environmental studies world because there was overlap in our artistic work"
"My connections in NYC have been directly related to Paloma."
@kadie91893519 shifts the conversation with some real tea -- the more money your family had to invest in your training, the better your access to pre-prof training that is necessary in the #dancefield >>> this is the http://movenyc.nyc mission
Kadie: "people don't talk enough about this because this is how you enter the conversation [in dance]" #slmdbodybiz10k
Jessica: "If there are barriers, I can work around them." Kadie: "That is such a dancer thing... there are literally hurdles and we just jete' over them..."
#facts Our gift & our curse.
#facts Our gift & our curse.
Last Big Q from @Kadie91893519: What would you do if you couldn't bring in 90% of income for one month? #slmdbodybiz10k
Jessica: "I am already a part of a really strong networking community... I have a lot of friends here. I could go and sleep on Joan's couch. I don't feel alone. It's hard to imagine me getting to that place."
"All the people that I work with are the kind of people who would say 'here's a little extra' or 'I can't give it to you today, but I can tomorrow'... I am a part of a community that would carry me through." #slmdbodybiz10k
Kadie: "The way the dance field works in NYC, community is how we are making it... All of these little things start to add up to big things, in a field where your practice is only paying part of your income... that is the whole purpose of this conversation."
Kadie: "This is where your chosen families come in... take stock of the relationships you have... acknowledge your privileges and... barriers." #slmdbodybiz10k
I am so grateful for this conversation between Kadie and Jessica because they get at the bottom line: community! It reminds me of when I 1st came back to NYC after grad school & asked folks point blank: How do you make your money? How do you make it work?
Time and time again, people named resources that weren't necessarily coins, but rather people. So glad to lift up the most important resource of all, people, and how we invest in each other. #slmdbodybiz10k
I'll be back next week to live tweet the next episode. In the meantime, head to https://shows.pippa.io/we-makin-it/episodes/bodybusiness-stories-part-2-with-jessica-lee-of-slm-dances to listen to the episodes with Jessica and Brittany Grier (released 10/22) - a 5 generations BK native whose family owns a home. #slmdbodybiz10k
and last but not least, donate to @slmdances to support our creative work: https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/sydnie-l-mosley-dances/campaigns/3094 #slmdbodybiz10k
